Record Galaxy Z Fold 8 sales fail to save Samsung's mobile unit from losses

It is no secret that people are loving the Galaxy Z Fold 8. Pre-orders have broken all previous records for a Galaxy device, and sales remain strong across multiple countries. However, this success hasn't been enough to keep Samsung's mobile business out of the red.

According to a report from Maekyung ECONOMY, despite strong demand for the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and home appliances, Samsung's Mobile eXperience (MX), Visual Display (VD), and Digital Appliances (DA) divisions could post operating losses through the third and fourth quarters of this year. The primary reason for this loss is surging manufacturing costs.

These cost increases are largely due to rising memory chip prices, which have spiked around 3x compared to last year's (2025) average. This sharp price increase has placed severe financial pressure across Samsung's consumer electronics divisions.

Data from Counterpoint Research indicates that the Galaxy Z Fold 8 series saw 30% higher global pre-orders than the Galaxy Z Fold 7. In particular, people in their teens, 20s, and 30s, who have often refrained from buying Samsung phones, have reportedly purchased the new foldables.

Meanwhile, Samsung's home appliance business received a boost from a 20% gift certificate refund promotion in South Korea, helping the company reclaim the top spot from Chinese competitors in the robot vacuum cleaner market.

Despite great sales, manufacturing price cost has been significant. In Q2 2026, Samsung MX posted an operating loss of KRW 703 billion (~$498 million), while the TV and home appliance units recorded a combined loss of KRW 12 billion (~$8.5 million). Analysts expect these consumer divisions to face persistent deficits for the remainder of the year.